Tsvangirai, Britain secretly pressure Aussie govt to change stance on Zimbabwe

Floyd Nkomo (26/03/08)


THE ruling Australian labour party is divided over Zimbabwe with some members seeking regime change and others supporting the sovereignty of the country, and the opposition MDC is the catalyst in this split, the Zimbabwe Guardian can reveal.


The new Australian ambassador to Zimbabwe, who is reported to be openly supportive of the sovereignty of Zimbabwe, is said to have clashed with the country’s new foreign minister who seeks regime change in Zimbabwe.

According to sources, Australian Ambassador to Zimbabwe John Courtney ─ who is supportive of positive engagement with Zimbabwe and respective of Zimbabwe's sovereignty ─ has clashed with Stephen Smith, the new Australian foreign minister, over Zimbabwe.

Courtney told journalists at the beginning of March that the new government will not meddle in Zimbabwe’s internal affairs.

He also refuted claims that the opposition Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) was being sponsored by his country.

However, a recent statement by Smith ─ who is now Australia’s foreign minister ─ on Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) Radio is said to have infuriated Ambassador Courtney who preferred a more diplomatic approach with Zimbabwe.

Smith said he has “very, very grave concerns” that elections in Zimbabwe this weekend will not be democratic and that the Australian Government seeks regime change in Zimbabwe.

Smith issued this statement two days after Morgan Tsvangirai met in secret with an ABC journalist, whom the opposition MDC had secretly sneaked into the country ─ in defiance of media laws banning all Western journalists from reporting in Zimbabwe.

“I think the sooner we see the end of the Mugabe regime, the better,” Smith told ABC Radio.

“But I have very, very grave reservations and am very and deeply cynical about the capacity for a full and free election in Zimbabwe.”

Relations between Australia’s new labour government led by Kevin Rudd and Zimbabwe have since improved as Rudd has not pursued the “deportation policy” and the regime change agenda pursued by the previous far right government ─ preferring to use diplomacy in his relations with the government of Zimbabwe.

However, the new utterances by Smith are likely to sever relations between Australia and Zimbabwe.

A former lawyer with little experience in politics, Smith, at first, seemed more patient and more modest than his predecessor Alexander Downer who was a harsh critic of President Mugabe.

Reports from Australia suggest that Smith’s recent statements are a result of intense pressure from the United Kingdom who were not happy with the new government’s stance on Zimbabwe and Zimbabwe’s opposition MDC.

“There has been intense lobbying by the British government to change the new government’s [of Australia] stance on Zimbabwe. This was after press reports in Zimbabwe had suggested that relations between Australia and Zimbabwe were improving. Britain does not want any country in the West to maintain cordial relations with Zimbabwe,” said a source.

“The British government has been putting pressure on Australia for a long time, to shift its position on Zimbabwe.”

A western diplomatic source told the Zimbabwe Guardian, “There has been some excitement about how Australia has changed since Kevin Rudd won office on many fronts. There have been some alterations, especially in style and empathy. However, foreign policy is best judged with respect to continuity rather than change, so this might be the reason why Smith is making these statements.”
You can see evidence of that continuity also on Iraq. Australian combat forces will soon be withdrawn from the south of Iraq but the rest of the deployment will stay. And Australia will remain part of the US-led, and United Nations-endorsed, Multi-National Force – Iraq,” said our source.
The opposition MDC leader, Morgan Tsvangirai, is also said to be secretly lobbying the Australian government to shift its position on Zimbabwe. He is said to be aided by ‘sympathetic Western governments’ in this endeavour.
Tsvangirai met in secret with ABC Africa correspondent Andrew Geoghegan, whom he slipped into the country to cover his election campaigns, according to our source within the opposition MDC.
“Andrew Geoghegan defied President Mugabe’s government’s ban on western media organisations and slipped into the country to meet the opposition leader and report on the pre-election situation. Morgan helped slip him into the country to cover his campaigns,” said our source.
The MDC source also confirmed that Tsvangirai met the journalist after he addressed a rally in Kwekwe, a town south of the capital Harare.
A report by ABC News confirmed this meeting where Tsvangirai said, “The last three elections, I won them. There is a difference between winning an election and winning power. And this election we’ll win it, but the circumstances may be Mugabe will steal it.”
“We expect the Australian government to shift its position on Zimbabwe,” said Tsvangirai.
President Mugabe has maintained that the opposition MDC is a puppet of regime change in Zimbabwe and are working with various western governments to discredit his government.

British pilot arrested

Zimbabwe police yesterday arrested a British pilot after landing at Charles Prince Airport in Harare while doing work for the MDC Tsvangirai faction. It is not clear if the pilot was authorised to fly in Zimbabwe.

Mugabe over confident of win

Meanwhile President Mugabe has criticised western governments saying they do not give investments to Africa,  but only give little amounts ─ by way of NGOs ─ that are not sufficient to develop the economies of the South.